And the moon looked down...
by Inequ
Summary: A short story about one of my RPG characters, Taya Momenta.


...And the moon looks down...  
  
It was a mild September day. The winds had caressed the trees and bushes gently and a light squall had left the air feeling fresh and crisp. Now the evening crept upon the land, and the moon peered out from behind the clouds. A reflective orb; weakly illuminating the steely lake and vast arrays of the Forbidden Forest. Its pale yellow face lit up the Hogwarts castle and its nearby grounds, shedding light on the little details on the ground below. The looked down, it searched and saw; it saw the octopus playing its carefree games in a far away corner of the lake, centaurs roaming the forest and gazing upwards, studying the starry sky, and there, under a large oak tree, the moon noticed a living being huddled in the shadows.  
  
He recognized it as a student at Hogwarts; miss Taya Momenta, seventh year from the house of Ravenclaw. Her black and royal blue robes with the Hogwarts crest and an embroiled bronze eagle on the chest were wrapped around her, and her short orange/blond hair was covered by a woollen grey cap; for the night was getting chilly and Taya intended to spend some time outside, enjoying the night while others were sleeping. She was sitting in her usual spot, leaning up against the trunk of the old oak, drinking up her surroundings and their beauty. She winced slightly when the pale rays of moonlight found her, but her eyes quickly adjusted and the moon captivated her.  
  
She liked to watch the moon journey slowly across the dark sky, sometimes accompanied by stars that were carelessly scattered on the heavens. She felt more relaxed out here, in company of no one but herself and the moon, when it peered through the sky. Sometimes she got the feeling that the moon stared back at her. It was as if the moon itself had a soul. An ancient soul that had seen most everything this world has to offer. She considered the moon her friend, it would never tell anyone else her secrets. Her full lips curled in a little smile, and she whispered: "Tell me your secrets now, old man."  
  
Yes, how could he? He wanted to entertain the girl with all the stories it could tell, enlighten her deep eyes so they would sparkle with laughter, or glow with sorrow and grief. Indeed, it had seen much. Of both good and bad, but so was the world divided, good and evil, light and darkness fought a never ending battle, none of them neither winning nor giving up. It was in equilibrium. The moon had not the power to change that. He was but the silent observer above, the one who reflected light and inspiration to curious souls like Taya Momenta.  
  
The young girl turned her attention to a leaf that fell down from the great old oak. It was beautiful, already tainted by the inevitable autumn colours. She captured it lightly in her hand and decided to bring it home with her. Thinking back, she realized that she had spent much of her seven years at Hogwarts beneath the weathered old tree. The oak had its story to tell as well. "Some day", she thought to herself, "I will write the moon a story, as a thanks for all the stories it has told me and inspired me to. And the oak will be mentioned." It made her smile more broadly, showing her straight white teeth, a gesture she rarely did in front of people.  
  
Reaching inside her robes to put the leaf away, she became aware of her dagger and took it out into the moonlight. It had not been in her mind for a while now, the old enchanted dagger with the majestic Celtic engraftments on the blade and her name imprinted in silver writing on the shaft. It was hers now, and somewhat appropriately, she had named it Ithil. *) It gave her a sense of comfort knowing that it was there, securely sheathed and resting against her hip at all times. More than her wand, it granted her security. She had her suspicions why, but did not like to admit her weaknesses. Her past being one, she very rarely spoke about it. No one but her knew, and she was not yet ready to share.  
  
The moon watched with interest. One of the things that fascinated him the most about the feeble human being was her supposed link with the dagger. She didn't seemed to use it much, but he knew that she was skilled at it; he had witnessed the time she had used stolen teddy bears for target practice, unleashing her anger and letting the dagger mercilessly rip the soft, defenceless bodies apart, pinning them securely to a plate she had set up by a large rock. Sometimes so infuriated, other times, like now, calm and balanced. Yet again, it was equilibrium. It had to be. "Surely," he thought, "she is not the simplest girl around." Inwardly he was smiling, for the girl was now toying around with her dagger. Again. He watched with amusement although he had seen it before.  
  
Taya watched the illuminative rays play on the daggers smooth surface. In the moonlight, the dagger almost seemed to glow, making the engravings seem darker and well marked. At times, she noticed the reflection of the moons round face. It was still looking at her; she could tell by the prickling sensation in her neck. Her eyes sought the sky again and she nodded silently to her mysterious orb-shaped friend. They both knew what it meant.  
  
She arose from the ground and snuck back into the castle, while the moon silently continued its endless journey around the place we live on called Earth, knowing that Taya Momenta would be there some other time, waiting for his company once more.  
  
*): The name Ithil is taken from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, Lord of the Rings. It is from the name Minas Ithil, which means the moon tower.  
  
1 ©2002 Anja Falkvard Simonsen 


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